Artificial or plastic worms, jigs are some of the most popular and versatile fishing lures today. The majority of fishing lures can be placed into one of the general categories including jigs, plugs, spoons and top water fishing lures. Jigs typically consist of a fishing hook having an eyelet and a shank portion having a weighted leadhead leaving the eyelet uncovered and attachable to a fishing line. Plug lures generally have a full bodied wooden or plastic member simulating a live fish with fishing hooks attached to various portions of the full bodied member. Top water lures are made of various types of material and body shapes which allow the lure to flow on the surface of the water with fishing hooks attached to different parts of the body. Spoon lures generally have a thin spoon shaped body member with a fishing hook attached to the rear of the thin body member. Spoon lures are particularly useful in pike, walleye, bass, and trout fishing because of their particular color scheme of the spoon lure to attach fish rather than relying on a lifelike appearance.
A great many kinds of spoons and mounting mechanisms for spoons have been made in a variety of shapes and sizes. When a spoon is the principal component of the lure, it typically flutters and may spin or revolve about an axis which extends along the length of the spoon. When used as an important, but not the principal, fish-attaching component of a lure having other fish-attaching components, a spoon revolves around a principal axis (a spindle or an imaginary line). In the latter case, the spoon is often referred to as a spinner. As used herein, the term “spoon” refers to both sorts of uses unless the context or surrounding structure dictates one specific use.
The mounting holes of spoons of the prior art are typically round, and serve only for attachment purposes. The clevis or other attachment loop extends freely through such mounting holes. Attachment of a spoon onto the clevis or other attachment loop often requires the use of hand tools. The process of changing a spoon may be somewhat time-consuming and inconvenient.
Fishing lures have traditionally been made either of hard or rigid materials, such as metal or hard plastic or of a resilient material such as plastic or rubber. The resilient materials are preferred by many fishermen because of the versatility in shape and coloration and more natural action of the lures, due to their flexibility. For example, lures of resilient materials can be made to stimulate the natural prey of fish, such as worms, shrimp, shad, lizard or small bugs, and they also can be appropriately colored. Alternatively, the resilient materials may be made of a highly attractive color and have any geometric configuration. They are relatively inexpensive to produce. The metal lures, in contradiction, are generally formed only in a geometric configuration known as a “spoon”. These metal lures must then generally be colored, for example, by lacquering, or treated to stay shiny so as to attract the attention of the fish.
While each of these types of lures is well known for its advantages, they have their respective disadvantages. The flexible plastic lures are generally rather light in weight (low mass) and therefore are difficult to cast to achieve any distance and degree of accuracy in lure placement. They tend to rise towards the surface as they are pulled through the water and thus may not stay at a depth suitable for attracting fish. They also lack strength and may be torn apart by a partial strike or by encountering a submerged snag. The metal lures, on the other hand, have the necessary strength and weight (high mass) but lack variety and realism in shape, color and action.
Spoon-type baits are generally made from solid metal or hard plastic. Their peculiar convex shape and their specific gravity, coupled with the shiny metal finish of the lure, attracts fish because of the vibrations created as the lure undulates through selected depths in the water column. However, because the traditional spoon is formed of hard, non-pliable metal, an angler is typically unable to alter the concavity to suit a particular situation. Additionally, because a spoon is generally cast of hard, non-pliable metal, a striking fish is able to distinguish a hard spoon from an actual bait fish and may consequently attempt to spit the lure out. The hard metal feel of a spoon may deter a fish from re-striking in the event the first strike is unsuccessful.
U.S. Patent Publ. 2004/0244269 relates to a fishing lure and hook method and apparatus. A fishing lure and hook combination includes a fishing hook having a shank with a pointed end, said shank having an eye on the other end thereof. The fishing lure has a front portion having an elongated bore there through for receiving a fishing line there through and a rear portion having a slit in the back thereof interesting the front portion bore and sized for the fish hook eye to slide sideways therein. The fishing weight has an enlarged hollow area at the intersection of the front portion elongated bore and the rear portion slit sized for the fish hook eye to rotate therein so that sliding the hook of the eye sideways into the rear portion of the slit and rotating the eye, locks the fish hook to the lure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,338 relates to a spoon fishing lure assembly which includes a body member having a front end with a front aperture there through and a rear end with a rear aperture there through. The fishing lure includes a simulated eye assembly and means for securing and sealing the simulated eye assembly to the body member. The simulated eye assembly has a base, a transparent cover and a rim portion. The simulated eye assembly also includes a ball freely disposed in the chamber. The fishing lure also includes the fishing hook having a shank portion and a skirt member. The fishing lure also includes a crimped member.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,367,816 relates to a spoon lure for fishing comprised of a wedge shaped strip of highly reflective metal or any other suitable material that is bent to a radius along its length and width, with a rudder at the wide end of the wedged set at an angle to the length of the body and rolled in the opposite direction of the radius. At the narrow end of the wedge, or the leading edge, there is a hole for fastening a swivel device which in turn is fastened to a fishing line at the wide end, or trailing edge, there are two holes for fastening a hook. This configuration results in a lure that will spin through the water with a tight pattern when the hook is placed in the center hole and a slower spin when the hook is placed in the corner hole.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,113,615 relates to a spinning spoon comprising a shaft having a hook mounted on one end thereof and an eye at its opposite end for fixing to a fishing line, a blade and a swivel connecting one end of the blade to the shaft adjacent to the eye in such a manner to enable the blade to rotate about the shaft under the effect of the resistance of the water through which the spoon moves.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,952,444 relates to a spoon lure with spring loaded hooks connected to a plunger extending along the lure. The hooks are loaded by pulling or pushing the plunger in a direction away from or towards the hooks against the force of the spring and they are locked into the loaded portion by pushing a latch into a notch provided by the plunger.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,885,866 relates to a fishing lure including a spoon with a mounting hole and a substantially rigid attachment loop extending loosely there through. The inter-engaging portions of the spoon mounting hole and/or attachment loop have non-circular shaping which focuses the engagement of the loop and mounting hole toward the center point of the leading edge of the mounting hole as the lure apparatus is drawn through the water.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,672,768 relates to a fishing lure formed by a head/hook member having integral projections with inter-engage in preformed bores in a body member of resilient material so as to maintain the unitary integrity of the assembly. The head/hook member is preferably made of metal to provide necessary ballast for the lure. The body member is preferably formed of a material such as plastics or rubber. The body member has preformed bores which receive portions of the head/hook member.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,377 relates to fishing lures comprising a lure body having a connector for connecting a fishing line to the lure body and at least one hook device including a hook shank with an attachment device, and at least one hook tip shaft with barb equipped tip, which hook device is non-releasably secured to the lure body by the attachment device.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,301,823 relates to a spoon fishing lure which includes a pliable core encased within a soft or rubbery body. The pliable core allows adjustment to the shape of the spoon to allow different wobble and swim patterns in the water. The core, which may be made of thinly drawn metal or wire, may bare visually enhancing decals. Rings at the ends provide a place to attach tackle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,883 relates to a fishing lure made of a soft, non-rigid material shaped and weighted to glide in water. Weights precisely balance the lure to produce the glide and to stabilize deflection of the lure caused by any tendency of the soft non-rigid material to deflect. A hook for catching fish is attached to the lure and provides the means for connecting the lure to a fishing line.